Cassie (The Mitchell/Healy Family #7)(30)
I immediately thought about what would happen when she left. Would she be able to maintain a straight life, or would everything fall apart again, because she couldn’t get away from her poor excuse for a boyfriend. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why good women were attracted to the wrong kind of men. It made no sense at all. Then I started to think about the case – the one I’d worked for over a year to solve. Even with the highest form of surveillance, we were still unable to be a step ahead of Rockefeller James. “What makes you think he’s telling you the truth?”
She shrugged. “He’s hiding something from me. Then when he mentioned us being able to leave soon I knew it was because it had to do with the job. You said you wanted to know if I heard something, so I called you as soon as I was able to.”
I stepped closer to the hospital bed, noticing how beautiful her green eyes were, especially since they were bloodshot. It made the color of her iris pop. I snapped out of the trance before she noticed. “I appreciate the call. I’ll have my team stake out the house to see if the activity changes. I’ll put a tail on every vehicle that leaves the house. The heads up will help. I appreciate your cooperation.”
“I’m only doing it so I don’t go to jail. You did threaten me with it.”
“When you’re clean you’ll thank me.”
“Don’t get your hopes up. My boyfriend’s life is in danger and you’re not going to do anything to help him. That makes us enemies.”
I wanted to laugh at the audacity she had. Obviously I had the upper hand, but her spunky personality kept coming out. It bugged the shit out of me.
“Cassie, you need to understand that I’m just doing my job. Being a criminal is a decision. It’s a choice. You could have gone home and told your boyfriend all about your ordeal. The two of you could be on the road headed for better things by now, but you’re not. Why is that? Is it because some part of you knows right from wrong? Are you in this hospital because I forced you to get clean, or because you know it’s the right thing to do?”
She was quiet, and I knew I’d proven my point. I tapped on her leg. “I know you’re having a rough time. I can’t imagine how hard it is to go through what you are. If I can get to Mr. James without involving your boyfriend I’ll do it. He’s the target. If we wipe out the big guy the rest will falter. I can’t make any promises. Guy’s like your boyfriend don’t like to be threatened. It’s in his nature to steal. Unfortunately guys like him have a hard time going straight. Once they get a taste of the life of crime, they stick with it. I know it’s not what you want to hear, but statistics don’t lie. Odds are even if we don’t catch him, he’ll get in trouble in the next town, or the one after. You have a choice. I’ve seen too many women lose themselves because of crooked men. Go home and start over. If you have a family, turn to them for support. It might hurt to think about, but it’s the best thing you can do for yourself.”
“Did I ask for your advice?”
“I’m offering it for free.”
“It doesn’t matter anyway. I can never go home, not after everything. They’ll never respect me. I don’t want to live like that.”
It was hard to stand there and hear someone who had a family turn their back on them, especially when I’d give anything to have mine back. “I hope one day you’ll change your mind. I’ll stop by tomorrow to check on you. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s after visiting hours are over so nobody sees us together.”
She seemed annoyed, but now more than ever, I was determined to make sure she stayed out of harm’s way.
Chapter 15
Cassie
From the moment he walked into my hospital room, I regretted calling him. He acted like his shit didn’t stink, and it bothered me. Nobody was perfect, especially an agent who used his badge to control people.
The doctor who promised to give me something to help me sleep didn’t order the prescription until the middle of the night. Exhaustion had already set in, so the moment my IV was filled with the medication, I passed out.
The next morning I woke up to a nurse taking my vitals. A plate of breakfast was already sitting on the tray next to my bed. I coasted the room for Brant only to realize I was alone. Before attempting to eat something that may or may not be appetizing, I used my cell phone to call my boyfriend. It got his voicemail six times in a row. His phone was either turned off or he’d forgotten to charge it. I thought about calling Tammy, but I didn’t want to hear her voice, asking where I was and when I’d be back.
Figuring he might be on his way in, I remained calm. I watched television, and managed to keep down some hard toast. By lunch time, I was chomping at the bit to get out of the hospital. I don’t know why I did it, but I threatened to harm myself if they didn’t let me go. They strapped me into the bed and put in for a psychiatric evaluation.
I was in a big fat mess, and I didn’t have any way to get out of it.
I cried. I screamed. I begged.
No one came. They left me there to rot.
Nightfall came, and still no Brant. I couldn’t exactly use my phone since I was strapped to the bed. They fed me through an IV, but my stomach growled for something solid to eat. Finally I dozed off, succumbing to the fact that I had to wait it out. Footsteps caught my attention. I turned, excited to see my boyfriend, only to realize it wasn’t him at all. Logan Campbell stood over my bed, his hair disheveled and face looking exhausted. “Do you mind telling me what happened earlier? I called to check on you and they said you had a breakdown. What’s going on? Did you hear from Brant?”